Nothing Ever Hurt Like You
by philyra-tales
Summary: Edward is looking for the assurance he needs to follow his dreams.  Bella is just trying to fade into the background. But what happens when they meet on the dance floor? Can their ruined night out be salvaged by the possibility of something more?
1. Chapter 1

**Rating: T for language.**

With many thanks to Lucy AKA subtlynice for her great BETA work and general awesome-ness. All mistakes made are my own.

Disclaimer: All characters mentioned are property of Stephenie Meyer. No profit was made from this story.

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**BELLA'S POV**

For the umpteenth time in my life, I was not comfortable with my surroundings.

It was not pitch-black dark but dark enough for me to be slightly worried. The only lighting came from the strobe lights near the DJ's spin table and those rotating lights that every nightclub seemed to have. That didn't sit very well with me. Like I could see anything when the strobe lighting was at least 50 feet away from me. Plus, the revolving lights made me dizzy.

This was _precisely_ why nightclubs weren't my "element", as Alice would say. As if I didn't already trip enough times when there's actual lighting around me. Imagine the different ways I could crack my skull in a place this dark.

I didn't even know how I had let Alice talk me into coming to this place with her. What was it about _Club Volterra_ that attracted her so much? All I could see was sweaty guys, sweaty girls and oh, sweaty guys _and_ girls getting it on. It was rather disgusting, to be honest.

"Oh, Bella, but it would be so fun! We could dress up, relax with a beer and maybe, we could get you a boyfriend!"

That had been her arguing statement. I had tried hard to dissuade her. I told her that I needed to stay in, that I had two English term papers to finish and a report on child psychology to begin. She nodded and sighed sadly, saying that she understood. I then went to have a shower, practically delirious with my victory. It wasn't everyday you could win an argument with Alice Cullen.

Alice damn near _assaulted_ me when I came out of the shower. Apparently, she had called up Mike Newton, a classmate in both my English and Psychology 101 class, and that traitor revealed that the assignments were only due next month.

I was so busted.

It wasn't like I _hated_ nightclubs or anything. I've never been to one before, so I couldn't safely say that I knew enough about it to actually hate it. But something about nightclubs was just totally… off-putting. I blame Hollywood. Nightclubs were the places to go if you wanted to get drunk, get laid, or worst, get kidnapped and then, murdered by a sadistic serial killer. Not the most inviting of places, yes?

So with almost no say in the matter whatsoever, I let Alice doll me up. She picked out a dress for me; too short for my liking but I knew better than to argue. She'd just put me an even shorter dress in retaliation. She pinned my hair up and did my makeup, though it was thicker than my usual routine. I complained that I looked like a drag queen so Alice had to, albeit grudgingly, remove most of it. She made do with seeing me decked out in simple lip-gloss, foundation and mascara. According to Alice, I had to wear heels as well as it would "accentuate" my legs, so I chose a manageable pair of 1.5 inches.

Then, she popped me into her yellow Porsche, a gift from her parents for her birthday, and we drove to _Club Volterra._ There was a long waiting line but of course, that didn't deter Alice. With a little batting of her eyelids, and I'm sure some money changed hands as well, we were in.

Not knowing what the proper etiquette was when it came to nightclubs, I made a beeline for the bar. At least if I ordered a drink and sat at one of the stools there, I wouldn't look so silly. Alice stayed with me through my first beer, chatting animatedly and loudly about her week at college and asked me about mine. Mine had been…predictable. That's me. Safe, predictable, boring Bella Swan.

I was ordering my next round of beer when someone seemed to have caught Alice's eye and she moved towards the dance floor. "Don't accept anything from strangers!" she told me sternly before leaving. I rolled my eyes. Sure, I was a newbie when it came to nightclubs but I wasn't a total retard.

So there I was, alone at the bar, taking little dainty sips of my beer because I was afraid it would go all to my head at once. It was here when I saw _him_. You know how it always is in trashy romance novels that when the hero and the heroine see each other for the first time, there's an explosion of sparks, a kind of instant connection? It was like the entire world faded away and only they remained?

Total load of rubbish.

I was pretty sure the only reason why there was even a connection between us was the fact that he had been staring at me for the past fifteen minutes. Normally, because of the horrendous quality of the lighting here, I wouldn't have noticed him but somehow, his demeanor caught my attention and his gaze, oh, his gaze! It was as if he were burning a hole right through me.

I turned my attention to Alice, not wanting to alert _him_ to the fact that I had noticed his staring. A moot point, of course, since he had the nerve to keep looking at me after I caught him staring. I watched as Alice danced gracefully through the crowd, her body in perfect rhythm with the music. If _I_ tried something like that, I'd look like I was having a muscle spasm.

Alice had been blessed with many gifts; the gift of the gab, amazing social skills, and enough money to hang out with the "in" crowd but she was _never _a snob. I had met her on the first day of the college orientation course and she'd been stuck with me ever since. She had caught me wandering aimlessly in the courtyard and was friendly towards me, helping me ease into this new and exciting world. She had been relentlessly trying to get me to be more…sociable; go to more parties, more clubs, but I had been relentless too, in spurning her advances.

I was glad to be her friend but sometimes, it seemed that one of her secret fantasies was to see me go to a club and magically turn into "Bella the Bomb!"

I had been so caught up in my own thoughts that I didn't even see her approaching me. "Aren't you having the greatest time!" She came up to me, panting slightly from her exertion on the dance floor.

I nodded and smiled, hoping it was enough of an answer. She took my mug of beer and drank a large gulp from it. She turned and leaned against the bar, standing beside me. "So… Seen anyone you like yet?"

"Not really," I shrugged. I didn't want to tell her about _him_. With my luck, she'd probably march up towards him and threaten to sue him for sexual assault. But if he'd make the first move, say by inviting me for a dance, Alice would push me towards him so fast and hard, it'd be like shoving me into next week. Talk about double standards.

"Well, maybe you should dance with me." It was slightly disconcerting to see her like this, her head bobbing to the music, the lights playing off her pale skin.

"Me? Dance? You might want to call an ambulance first." If there were anyone who could put themselves and others in a hospital just by dancing, it'd be me.

Alice simply gave me a look, as if to say that the suggestion was completely preposterous. I knew better than to question any of her looks so I kept quiet. As long as I made sure not to get on the dance floor, tonight wouldn't be so bad.

"Don't you want to meet some boys?" she asked.

I knew I had to distract her soon so I quickly scanned the place when I saw someone else staring at us. Strangely enough, he was seated at the same table as _Mr. Demeanor. _Heh, that table really had a thing for us.

"Don't look but that guy over there is staring at you," I whispered into her ear.

Alice, being Alice, immediately shot up and started looking for the guy. "Stop that!" I pinched her arm. I stared at the guy covertly and Alice followed my line of sight. He was definitely good-looking. He had short blond hair that fell just below his ears and was dressed in a loose shirt with jeans.

But there was something else about him. Despite the fact that we were in a nightclub and everyone seemed to be having fun, he was… _sad_.

"I think I should go over and talk to him."

There was a hitch in Alice's voice, as if she had been knocked over by something unseen. Strangely enough, she sounded… calm. I looked to her in confusion. After all, it wasn't everyday that Alice would suddenly lose enthusiasm for anything, especially men.

"Alice, are you okay?" I asked her, concerned for her well-being.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she assured me. "I just have this feeling, you know? Like I _have_ to talk to him."

I didn't, of course. How would I understand a feeling like that? A feeling that _compelled _me to talk to someone of the opposite sex? I'd be lucky if they actually noticed I was female.

I watched as Alice practically skipped over to that table and introduced herself. That was Alice, straight talking; no nonsense whatsoever. She held out her hand and he took it, still seated, and when there was eye contact, I swore I could feel that instant connection in the air, just like in all those trashy romance novels.

She led him out to the dance floor, and I gave Alice the thumbs up when I caught her eye as they slow danced. Tonight was turning out to be a real surprise. Alice wanted to find _me_ a guy but look what happened instead.

I took another sip of beer because, well, what else was there for me to do? Oddly enough, no one had come up to me yet. I'd always heard stories from Jessica, a dorm-mate, about how she would go into a club and if she were at the bar alone; all sorts of men would start hitting on her. Tall, short, young, old, portly, stoutly or just lean mean machines. Obviously, I wasn't like Jessica. Maybe my boobs were too small. I glanced down. Yeah, they were too small.

Seeing as how I had nothing else to do, it didn't come as a surprise to me when I noticed _Mr. Demeanor _be having an argument with his companions, a statuesque blonde and a brawny guy. Well, I could people-watch too, you know. If I wanted to, that is. After all, he started it first.

Their little squabble appeared to be getting heated, from where I saw it. _Muscle Man _flexed his muscles more and more, his hands becoming more animated as he used them to illustrate his point. The blonde, let's go with _Miss Pretty Face_, looked bored but nonetheless, contributed her two cents' worth. Punctuating her words with various facial expressions, I had to admit that she certainly gave off a "fierce" vibe.

Oh Lord, I was quoting "Project Runway". What had Alice done to me?

_Mr. Demeanor_ came across as becoming more and more frustrated. He ran his fingers through his hair, making it even more tousled. His eyebrows furrowed, he gave his companions a long, hard stare before turning sideways and fixing that same, penetrating stare on _me_.

"Don't panic! Don't panic!" I kept repeating those words to myself as I dropped my gaze and let my hair fall over my face. I focused my attention on my beer. So what if he saw me staring at him? That didn't mean anything. It wasn't like he was some sort of murderer on the prowl. _Right_?

I delayed in lifting my head. What if he was still staring at me? That look he gave me, it wasn't something casual. There was something in that gaze, so piercing, so intent; like he could see right through to my soul with those eyes.

"_Don't be a wimp. Just look up. If he's still looking, go find Alice. If he isn't, drink your beer and stop ogling at him."_

I took a silent but deep breath. He couldn't hurt me. We were in a very public place. Alice would kick his ass if he tried anything funny. Giving myself one last pep talk, I steeled myself and looked up.

It was so much worse.

He was walking straight towards me.

Involuntarily, I turned to look behind me, thinking perhaps he was walking towards someone else. Silly notion, of course, there was no one except rows and rows of liquor behind me. My eyes found their way back to him and his demeanor immediately drew me in. I thought he would be one of lanky, scrawny boys who walked with their heads down, feet shuffling.

Not him. Admittedly, he wasn't as built as _Muscle Man_, but he carried himself well. He held himself upright and there was a slight swagger in his stride. It was like even the air around him was electrifying.

Wow, this was definitely taking the trashy romance route.

I couldn't help but kept my focus on him as he made his way over. _Closer and closer. Any second now._ Normally, I would avert his eyes but this time, I just couldn't. His eyes had such a stronghold over me. I felt a blush creeping up my face. Surely this wasn't the first time I was meeting a man?

"Hi. Do you wanna dance?"

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	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: All characters mentioned are property of Stephenie Meyer. No profit was made from this story.

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**EDWARD'S POV**

The look on her face spoke of pure terror. Her eyes went huge and her face started turning pink. I could almost hear her heartbeat fly. Maybe it was the way I walked over. I must have looked too intimidating to her. That's it. I wasn't going to take any more ridiculous "catwalk" lessons from Rosalie.

It then occurred to me that maybe I hadn't smoothen my hair before approaching her and I was probably looking like some kind of a hobo now. Damn it. My mother always hated my hair for sticking out in all directions. She said I looked like a mad scientist. Perhaps that was what the girl was thinking of me now.

It wasn't like I _wanted_ to talk to her.

No, wait, all right. I _did_ want to talk to her but that didn't mean I _had_ to. I wasn't the kind of guy who could just walk into a room and pick out any girl I want. Sure, Esme would say I'm a good-looking kind of guy but she's my _mother_. Of course she would say that. She couldn't very well say, "Good Lord, I have such a hideous son!"

I grew up scrawny _and_ lanky. I had stupid hair and I wore coke-bottle glasses every day until I turned 14 and started wearing contacts. Puberty helped; I managed to put on some muscles and I didn't develop acne. My hair was still unmanageable, but at least there was hair gel now. I suppose my one redeeming feature would be my eyes. They were green and I guess girls would call it a "pretty" color but eyes aren't usually the first things a girl would notice in guys.

I didn't even want to come out tonight but Rosalie had a date with her boyfriend again and Jasper, as her older twin, had the obligation of playing chaperone. I was Jasper's best friend and as much as Jasper hated crowds, so did I. Misery loves company as the saying went. I managed to find a clean though slightly crumpled plaid shirt and I paired it with a pair of jeans and my favorite leather jacket before heading out to meet them at _Club Volterra._

I had noticed _her_ the moment she came near the bar. It wasn't her beauty or her figure that caught my attention. No, it was her eyes. She seemed to have the most emotive eyes I had ever seen in a girl. It was obvious that she was trying to have a good time for the sake of her friend but her eyes told a different story. She was uncomfortable in such a place and immediately, I could relate.

But that was before I heard her voice. Her voice… It was like the angels were singing when she replied. "I can't dance." Oh, she was shy, I could tell, her face was flushed red.

"I could teach you…" I was desperately trying to salvage the situation now. How embarrassing it would be if I returned to my table the same way I left; no dance, no date. I tried to look sincere but not overly creepy. It must have worked somehow because she nodded and took the hand I had extended.

What have I done? It wasn't like I could dance like Elvis.

I led her to the dance floor when I could see Rosalie and Emmett at our table. Emmett was giving me the thumbs up while Rosalie was gesturing me to relax. This wasn't good. This must mean that I was showing some sign of discomfort on my face. The girl would probably think I was unhappy with her or something like that. When this was all over, I was going to kill Rosalie.

I hadn't meant to stare at the girl so much. Come on, I wasn't some crazy stalker. But I did take a few more glances than what was appropriate. Was it my fault that somehow, I found her so compelling? That she had some unimaginable, unbreakable hold over me?

Rosalie was the one who had noticed me staring. I must have not bothered hiding the slight resentment I was feeling from my assertion that I was never going to talk to the girl anyway. I had seen the girl of my dreams and I was probably never going to see her again after tonight.

"Could you be any more sullen?" Rosalie had grumbled once she traced my line of sight and saw the girl I had been staring at.

"Why do you care?" I mumbled under my breath. "You don't like it when I date."

"How would _you_ know?" she countered. "You _never_ date."

"Just talk to her!" Emmett practically roared. He was that kind of guy who was so confident in himself; that there could never be any room for failure. I wished I could be like him. That way, Esme would get off my back for not having a girlfriend. Seriously, her obsession in that topic was unnatural. I thought all mothers didn't want their sons to date for fear of them knocking up their girlfriends.

Very stiffly, I placed my hand on her back as she wrapped hers very loosely around my neck. A slow song was coming up and I silently sent a prayer of thanks heavenward. Slow dances were good. Technically, you didn't have to know how to dance. You just had to stand and move your feet a little, swaying to the music in time.

"I'm Edward," I introduced myself. I realized that I still didn't know her name yet.

"Bella," she told me in a soft and undeniably sweet voice. We had leaned closer towards each other as the dance floor was getting more crowded, and the music was getting louder. My heart sped up a little and this, for some reason, embarrassed me. What if she could hear it? She'd think I'd never danced with a girl before.

Well, that's not entirely true. I danced with Tanya Prescott once. _That_ was scary.

"Your friend must be someone special." I cocked my head in Jasper's direction. He and the tiny, tiny little girl were dancing about 3 couples away from us. While it was endearing, the both of them looked awkward dancing together. Jasper was about 2 and a half heads taller than she was and that was with her on his shoes already.

Wow, I didn't think I had ever seen Jasper let a girl step on his shoes before.

"Yea, Alice sure is something." Bella smiled and I could tell that she thought highly of her friend. I was beginning to as well. Sure, she gave the impression of being obnoxious when she came straight to our table and introduced herself without waiting for any form of response but the fact remained that Jasper _followed_ her. Jasper never followed anyone anywhere. He was the loner in class; that was how we became friends. We had to work on a school project together and somehow, we bonded over the silence. "Hermits in their own heads," Rosalie once commented.

I nodded happily, but not to the point where I looked like an idiot. As happy as I was to be dancing with the girl of my dreams, I couldn't help but feel happy for Jasper too. I knew it wasn't as if he was going to marry Alice tonight or anything but it was a step in the right direction. His last girlfriend had been hell and we were all glad when he finally got rid of her, but it seemed that the experience had traumatized him.

It wasn't that Jasper wasn't a good-looking guy himself. In fact, he was a rather charming Southerner, you know, if I were to sway _that way_. But he had scars all over his body and that made him incredibly self-conscious. Rosalie had to always literally drag him out of the door in order to get him to leave the house. He had been involved in a serious car accident a few years ago but by some stroke of luck or divine intervention or whatever you chose to believe, he managed to survive. But it had come with a price. He traded a premature death for a lifetime of scars.

It wasn't any day that a girl would make the first move when it came to Jasper.

"Are you friends with him then?" Bella asked.

"Best friends since high school," I confirmed. She was looking up at me with that positively adoring smile on her face and I realized that no matter how this evening ended, I was never going to forget it. I didn't care if she was taking my breath away; it would only be a wonderful way to die.

A couple accidentally bumped into Bella and in turn, she pressed herself closer to me. She mumbled something unintelligible and tried to move away but I subtly made sure that my arms kept her at where she was. I wasn't a crazy guy, I swear, but perhaps that bump had been some sort of a _sign_.

_Breathe, Cullen. Breathe. _

But that was making it worse. Every breath I took reminded me of how close she was, how the contours of her body was fitting into mine so perfectly. I knew it was crazy but for the first time in my life, I felt a connection to another human being. A connection that went beyond family relations or friendship or the general human need to _not _be alone. It was a connection with another soul, one that defied any kind of explanation or justification.

For some reason, it was easy to speak to Bella. From the first time I saw her in the club, it was like she was my truth serum. I wanted to tell her _everything_. Everything about my life, all my secrets; I grew up being pretty quiet and anti-social and the only friend I really had was Jasper. I never really was a good speaker but Bella made it easy. I wanted to tell her everything about Jasper, everything about my family, everything about my life and after that; I would _still_ want to tell her something more.

The song we were dancing to was coming to a slow stop and I was wondering how to proceed. What if a slow song were to come on again? Well, that was easy. I could simply ask for another song. But what if it were a fast song? I couldn't dance very well to a fast song and I didn't think Bella knew how to as well.

True enough, a fast song came on. I knew it! My luck would never last this long. Bella would naturally, make her excuses of not being able to dance and then I would never see her again. The lights went dimmer and I started seeing people breaking out their dance moves. No, actually, make that people breaking out their spastic attacks.

"Hey, you wanna go somewhere quieter?" Bella asked me.

_Wait._ "What?" I was questioning myself more than I was questioning her.

She blushed. Wow, that color looked so pretty on her. "You wanna go somewhere else?" She leaned in closer and spoke louder. Obviously, she must have misunderstood and thought that I couldn't hear her the first time.

"Sure!" I nodded. _Hell yeah. _I took the initiative of holding her wrist and leading her away from the dance floor. I would have held her hand but that would be too forward. I sneaked a quick glance at Rose and Em and I saw that they were giving me the thumbs up. Admittedly, Rose's was a weak, feeble one but Emmett was just pumping his hands in the air enthusiastically.

I sure hoped Bella didn't see that. She was probably going to think of me as just some frat guy looking to score chicks.

But if she saw Rose and Em, she gave no indication. She allowed me to lead her out of the club and when we were finally out in the cool, crisp air, she laughed softly. "That was some dance. You're a great teacher!"

"I didn't do much, really," I acknowledged.

She shrugged and I noticed that she was absent-mindedly rubbing her forearms. She must be cold; so I quickly removed my jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. She murmured her thanks and we continued walking away from _Club Volterra._

"Do you want to call your friend, Alice, was it?" I asked. From the numerous chick flicks Rose forced me to watch with herself and Em, I learned that most girls liked to have their companions know where they are at all times. I liked that; it was a reasonable measure. I just still couldn't understand the bathroom thing though. Why do girls always have to go into bathrooms in like, _packs_? Was that some sort of bathroom ritual that girls always had to perform together, a secret to anyone who was a guy?

"It's okay." She shook her head. "I can just text her. Give me a minute." I nodded and she took out her cell phone. Her fingers seemed to fly across the keypad and before I knew it, she was done. She smiled and we continued our walk.

There was a comfortable silence between us. Usually, if this was with someone else, I would be tripping over myself to find topics to fill up the silence but with Bella, I didn't have to. There didn't seem to be any rush for us to say anything just to fill up the cool night air between us.

"I hope you didn't think…negatively of me when I asked that we go somewhere else." She looked to me and I could see that she was getting a little flustered. I was going to have to memorize her face like that. That perfect balance of awkwardness and confidence, mixed in with that rosy color of her cheeks. "I mean, it was noisy and all, and I thought…"

"I don't mind," I cut in. I was raised to always allow a person to finish his or her sentence but for some reason, I wanted her to know that I didn't mind it at all. I would never be able to think negatively of her. I was raised to be a gentleman as well and I would never take advantage of Bella like that.

She smiled and I smiled back and once again, we went silent. Once or twice, I would see her twisting her fingers in a nervous gesture and it calmed me somehow. She was as nervous as I was.

"It was really nice dancing with you," Bella turned to me and said. "I've never really been in a nightclub before."

"You're a virgin then?" The words just came out of my mouth. _God! Where was my filter? Stop! Stop! Abort mission! _"I mean…" I sputtered as she watched wide-eyed; me choking on my own saliva. "I mean, when it comes to nightclubs…I didn't mean, I'm not usually that forward… I mean, God, I'm so sorry!" I apologized profusely.

How pathetic was I? The one chance I get with such a nice girl like Bella and I shoot my mouth off like that. Stupid, stupid Edward Cullen.

"Yeah, I mean, when it comes to nightclubs." She laughed nervously. Her eyes were darting towards her surroundings and she was smiling sheepishly. She was probably thinking of how she was going to make her escape without offending me.

"Do you mind driving me back to my dorm?" She asked hesitantly. _She's making her escape now!_ But then she continued hurriedly. "I'm not trying to get away from you. It's just that it's getting late and I'm not used to being out at this time."

Thanking all the different Gods that I had learned about in Religion 101, I was pleased to inform her that I indeed had a car and I could send her back. Thankfully, Jasper could ride together with Rose and Em, or if he were lucky, he could head back with Alice. Bella and I doubled back to the car park and I guided her to the passenger seat of my car. I hoped that she wasn't the materialistic kind of girl. Yes, I drove a Volvo C30 but that didn't mean it was _mine._ Well, technically, it was but my dad got it for me. A lot of girls I knew would instantly throw themselves onto a guy driving such a luxury car, but if Bella were one of them, she showed no evidence of it.

I turned the key in the ignition and the engine came to life. I backed out of the car park and we were on our way. "Where's your dorm?" I asked Bella, wondering if I knew how to get to wherever she lived.

"University of Seattle." She gestured towards the sound system. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all." I shrugged and she switched it on. Immediately, the opening strains of Clair De Lune filled the car. I was about to switch it to a more contemporary radio station when I caught the small smile on her face.

"Debussy. Are you a fan?" She leaned back into her car seat but turned her head to face me.

"I adapted it for one of my piano recitals, but yes, I'm a fan," I admitted. Most guys my age would sooner die than admit that they were into the classics. Call me old-fashioned but I like my music to _mean_ something, not like the ridiculous, not to mention, frivolous noise that teenagers called music these days. You could barely hear the lyrics these days, just beeps and beepings due to the censors.

"Never thought I would find someone our age who liked Debussy," she noted. "I'm a Beethoven fan myself."

I nodded. "Moonlight Sonata was a brilliant piece."

And it was with that we began an amazing discussion of all the different classic musicians we admired. I never thought I could find someone who knew the classics as I did; someone who knew who Brahms was and didn't ask if he were a brand of organic wheat.

All too soon, the University of Seattle campus appeared on the horizon and I was beginning to feel pangs of sadness. I would have to ask for her number. If not to ask for a date, then at the very least, to strike up a friendship with her. Bella was one of a kind; I was never going to find another like her, not in our generation anyway.

"Do you go here too?" She asked as she unbuckled her seat belt and we both came out on the car. I went over to her side and decided that I was going to escort her back to her dorm room. Sure, call me greedy for wanting to spend more time with her, but Esme raised me well. It was late and dark and do you know how many college girls are snatched by unscrupulous characters right underneath everyone's noses every year?

"Um, I go to Dartmouth, but I'm here with Jasper visiting his sister. I'm about to graduate actually."

"And do you have any plans after that? If you don't mind me asking…"

_Of course I didn't._ "My dad wants me to be a doctor, you know, to carry on with his practice," I saw Bella nodding, indicating that she understood. "But I'm not sure if I want to. I mean…" I had never revealed this to anyone before, not Jasper, and certainly not my family. "I want to be a doctor, yes, I love helping people, but I don't want to go into a practice."

"Then, what do you want?" For some reason, we had stopped walking; standing right in the middle of the pathway, she placed a hand on my forearm, as if she could sense that I was making a confession of sorts.

"I want to help many more people. I want to make a bigger difference. I want to go into Doctors Without Borders." Everything all came out in a rush. It was like Bella didn't mind at all, listening to my problems, if you could even call it that. Most would just call me a "spoilt kid unhappy with his planned future."

"And you're worried about your parents objecting?"

"My dad…he's…" I searched for the right words to describe Carlisle. "I think my mom and he are just worried about me going to dangerous countries and risking my life when I can just lead a comfortable existence after inheriting my dad's practice."

"You should do it," she said in an extremely determined voice that I thought surprised even her. Her hand went back to her side and a slight ache went through me. _Please, touch me again. _"If you don't, you'll regret it. Believe me, I know what it's like."

I must have looked at her longer than she might have liked because she then went on to explain. "My mom…She left us when I was a child and my dad wanted to go after her. But he didn't, in the end. And I can still see it in his eyes, everyday. I know he wishes he did, but we don't know where she is now, so…"

"I'm sorry," I immediately responded. Such a built-in mechanism, I'd realized. Anyone relating a sad experience and you're conditioned to apologize for it.

"Why?" She laughed. "It's not your fault."

"Still, I mean, I can empathize." She looked to me, waiting for me to continue. "I know what it's like to not know your real parents. Or at least, your mom, in your case." I paused. "My real parents died when I was young. I was adopted by a relative."

"But you love them." It was a statement, not a question. "That's why you're worried about upsetting your father."

"Actually, I'm worried about giving him a heart attack." This part was true. Esme had been forever trying to get him to eat a little healthier. Carlisle wasn't fat or anything like that; it's just his insides that were a little…off. Two strips of bacon and six cups of coffee a day for 30 years could do that to a man, even a doctor.

"I'm sure that your father loves you as much as you love him, and that he'd want you to be happy, just like any parent." There was a comforting tone to her voice, like a soothing lullaby to a colicky baby. "You should tell him how you feel. He'd appreciate you being truthful."

I absorbed this. Because I had never shared this information with anyone before, I was never counseled on it. Hearing an outside opinion about it gave me confidence that perhaps Bella was right, and Carlisle would understand. Even if he didn't, I was sure that we could at least settle on some kind of a compromise.

"Well, this is my stop," Bella announced and I looked up, frowning when I saw that we had reached a building with a "Dormitories" sign in front of it.

"I had a really nice time, Bella," I thanked her. "And thank you for your advice."

"It's nothing." She shrugged. "It was really nice to have met you." Once again, her blush was creeping up her face. What a wonderful shade of pink it was. _Ask for her number, you idiot!_

"I know this is incredibly forward of me, but maybe we could exchange…" I never got to finish my statement when we heard someone calling out to Bella.

"Bella, babe! How you doin'?"

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As always, reviews are greatly appreciated. Let me know what you like, or what you _don't_ like about the story. Subscribe for notification of updates! :)


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: All characters mentioned are property of Stephenie Meyer. No profit was made from this story.

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**BELLA'S POV**

The night was going so well. I had met a guy and even though he was slightly on the weird side, he wasn't _creepy._ Perhaps, it was a _little_ on the creepy side when he commented on me being a virgin, but hey, it could have been worse. Besides, he was just talking about my first time in a club.

Not my actual _first time_.

Not that I've actually had a first time, regardless.

But Edward was so nice. I giggled internally. _Edward_. Such an old-fashioned name but on him, it was perfect. How else could we explain that for a man of our generation, he knew Beethoven, Debussy and Vivaldi? _Vivaldi! _He didn't make any stupid jokes in reference to a certain part of female anatomy! Deep inside him, there was an old soul.

Strangely enough, being around him brought out a whole new side of me, a side I didn't even know I had. I was confident, assertive, and even reassuring. I gave him advice on dealing with his parents. Unbelievable! If this was me on any other day without him, I was sure I would just stare at the ground and tell him that 'no matter what you do, you'll turn out okay'.

That was my father's perpetual advice for me. Anything I asked him, be it for my school, my social life, feminine hygiene products, his advice was always that.

No wonder I turned out the way I did.

But Edward certainly had a way with me. Being around him made me feel that somehow, I really was going to turn out okay. I wouldn't have to rely on Alice to make friends for me and I was capable of having my own social life. So it was only natural that I wanted to leave an impression on him. I wanted him to ask for my number. I wanted to see him again and everything was going so well, until _he_ came around.

No one really knew his full name but everyone knew him as James. Rumor had it that he was a third-year student who, in wanting to leave behind a _legacy_, had a school-known bet of bedding the most virgins. Seriously! When I had first heard of this James character, I wondered to myself, asking if any woman was going to actually allow such degradation. They _had_ to know of the bet; everyone did. I brought this up with Alice and she told me that certain women were able to overlook the bet and sleep with him if he were, you know, good-looking, which he was, unfortunately.

He was certainly not my type but I supposed most women would call him a "stud".

"Bella, babe! How you doin'?" I heard him call out and immediately, I turned to face him. The alcohol in his breath was detectable, even from a distance. Good Lord, he was so drunk. He must be halfway out of his mind by now.

"Go away!" I told him, more confident that I felt. James would do this around twice a week; hang out the girls' dorms for the chance of hooking up. He had approached me several times before but I wasn't stupid. I wasn't going to lose my virginity to a lowlife like him.

"Aw, come on, babe!" He started coming towards us and I saw that Edward had casually moved himself so that he now stood in front of me. Touched by his chivalry and bolstered by a courage I didn't know I had, I reached for his hand, intending to lead him into the dormitories, if only to get rid of James.

"Don't call me babe!"

"Don't act like you don't want me. All of you are whores, especially you virgins!" He slurred drunkenly. I felt a deep crimson coloring my cheeks but I ignored him. He was just a drunk. What did he actually know about women?

"Show some respect to the lady!" Edward shouted at James instead. The expression on his face indicated one of utmost shock. It was as if he had never heard such vile talk in his entire life before. This certainly was new.

"And whatcha you going to do 'bout it?" James sauntered towards us. Well, stumbled was more like it, but even drunk, he still looked as intimidating as ever.

"My mother raised me to be a proper gentleman. You _will_ apologize to her" He gestured towards me.

James raised his fists, taking the boxing stance. "I'm going to kick your ass, you punk!"

"Stand back, Bella." He gently pushed me back and I could see doubt in his eyes. He didn't look too confident of winning a fight against James, even with the latter drunk.

"You don't have to do this, Edward," I assured him and truly, he didn't really have to challenge James to a fight in my honor. Just the way he stood up for me spoke volumes of his character.

"It's the principle of the matter, Bella."He nodded and turned towards James. His hands were also balled into fists and he had them raised in front of him. He threw the first punch but he missed, and that was when James swung a fist and hit Edward squarely on his eye.

"Stop it, James, stop it!" I yelled. I wanted to step in to pull them apart but within seconds, their fight had escalated to include more than just punches. There were scratching and hair pulling, mostly from Edward. Well, he may have been raised a gentleman but I didn't think he was raised a fighter as well.

Edward had managed to leave several scratch marks on James but it only served to make him even angrier. With a sweep of his feet under Edward's, he had Edward sprawled on his back on the ground and he started raining blows on his face.

"Stop it!" I yelled once more, rushing to smash my hand into James' face in the effort of distracting him. But he was stronger and he simply shoved me towards the sidewalk. I landed on my arms, and while they were protected by Edward's jacket, it still hurt. James went back to hitting Edward and I could see that he wasn't going to last much longer without any intervention. His entire face was bloodied and he had his hands in front of his face, trying to stop the blows but it was to no avail.

"Please, just please, somebody help us!" I cried out. Thankfully, a group of college guys walked past the dormitories and heard my cries. I recognized Mike in the group. "Mike, you gotta stop them!"

Immediately, Mike and his group of friends ran towards James and Edward and started pulling them apart. James tried to kick and punched his way out of the stranglehold Mike had on him but it was fruitless. I supposed Mike's grip was too strong for him to break.

"Edward!" I ran towards him, helping him as he struggled to sit up. "Are you all right?"

"He's a steady fighter for someone who's supposedly drunk!" He spat some blood out and I immediately reached for the handkerchief I had in my pocket. I knew it wasn't going to help much but I started to wipe off some of the blood on his face. The smell was starting to get to me and the nausea was setting in but I held my ground. I needed to help Edward in his time of need.

"I'm so sorry," I apologized profusely. "You didn't have to do that."

He shrugged though it looked like the action pained him. I saw that one of Mike's friends had called the campus security and they were dragging James away. Well, I hoped they give him hell for what he did. Jail time would be best too.

"Bella, you need any help?" Mike asked as he jogged towards me.

"Yea, could you um…" The nausea was really beginning to bother me. "Could you um, help me bring Edward to the nurse's office?"

"Sure, sure." He helped me to my feet and later, helped Edward to his with help from another buddy. Well, the night was certainly turning out fine. I was about to puke my guts out and Edward looked like he had just been through a wood chipper. Just fine indeed.

**BELLA'S POV**

"Now, dear, just put this under your nose and go sit over there," the nurse told me as she handed me a small towel. I resented her tone; it sounded utterly patronizing. But seeing as how she was going to be treating Edward, I kept my mouth shut. It would be horrible if she were to neglect him as payback for me mouthing off at her.

But come on, I may be sensitive to blood, but I wasn't some moron.

I went quietly to a corner of the office as I watched Nurse Cope fussed over Edward. I felt terrible for putting Edward in this position. The only reason he was laying here, bloodied and bruised, was because of me. If he hadn't defended me against James, if he hadn't send me back to my dorm, if he hadn't even dance with me at the club…

"Ahhh!" I was pulled out of my deprecating doldrums by Edward's cry of pain. Nurse Cope was trying to clean the blood off his face but apparently, she was using too much force. "Good Lord, woman!"

"You will not use the Lord's name in vain, young man!" Nurse Cope reprimanded him as I saw her try to clean the blood off again, presumable with less force this time.

Edward huffed as he laid on the make-shift bed, holding a cold compress on his head. Even after going through what was probably the trashing of his life, he still looked good. His hair looked even more tousled and the crumpled look of his shirt gave him the whole "after-sex" look. Minus, you know, all the blood.

"I'm really sorry again, Edward," I apologized for what seemed to be the umpteenth time. I still held the small towel against my nose, fearing that the smell of the blood would send me hurling and Nurse Cope would have another patient to tend to.

"Pfft," was all I heard coming from him and I supposed he was just tired of listening to me apologize again. "Really, Bella, it's all right. I've accepted all 20 of your apologies."

"But you got hurt because of me," I implored for him to see my reasoning.

"And if it had been any other woman, I would have done the same as well…"

Ah, and the truth was out. He didn't defend me sorely because of _me_; he did it because he was raised to. How ridiculous it was of me to think that he must have endured such a beating because he actually _liked_ me.

"Though, if it _had_ been any other woman, I think I would have dodged those blows, don't you think?" I heard him say and when I stood to see his face, now cleaned, I saw a sheepish smile on his lips. It must have heard though, since I could see several cuts on his lips.

Wait, did I just hear him say what I thought he said?

"Ha, if it were any other woman," I replied more calmly than I felt. "You wouldn't have to defend her. She'd kick James' ass."

"Nah, I prefer someone who fights worse than me," I wasn't offended though since he was smiling to show that he was joking. "That way, I won't look so bad."

Nurse Cope did a strange tsk-tsking sound with her tongue. It looked like she wasn't approving of how little Edward valued his looks. Well, if I were her, I'd value his looks too.

"All the same, I thank you, kind sir," I adopted a posh accent in the hopes of dispersing the tension that had appeared out of nowhere. It really did put a damper on things when you had an audience in the room. "Your chivalry is greatly appreciated."

"Well, his chivalry is about to be sorely tested again," Nurse Cope interrupted. She helped Edward to a sitting position and then began to lecture him on his "schedule" for the next few days. "I can't prescribe you anything stronger, but here's some aspirin. Take it for the night and in the morning, go get some proper meds from your doctor. You may also have a concussion so make sure somebody wakes you up every two hours tonight. And one more thing, it would be wise if you stayed out of fights for the next few weeks. Give your wounds some time to heal."

"Well, Bella better stay out of trouble for the next few weeks then," he winked at me and in spite of myself, I smiled.

Nurse Cope snorted softly. Well, I could understand why. I was always coming into her office for a fall, a sprain, a bruised shin, etc. The woman might as well be my personal physician.

"Come on." I went towards Edward and helped him up. Having hurt his back in the fight, he had to lean most of his weight on me as he hobbled towards the door. I handed Nurse Cope her small towel back and thanked her for her help. She waved us out and soon; it was just Edward and I in that tiny hallway.

"I should walk you back to your car," I said as we walked slowly down the hallway.

"I should walk you back to your dorm," Edward countered.

"Really, Edward!" I was surprised he would even think of that at such a moment. "You need to get back home and you need help getting into your car so we're going to your car."

He must have seen reason because he allowed me to steer us to the parking lot. It wasn't far but I made sure we walked slow enough so as not to exert Edward. It was a weird feeling, walking Edward back to his car. Of course, it wasn't cool at all that he was injured but having his arm around my shoulder felt so perfect. Okay, so maybe it wasn't like those trashy romance novels because I was pretty sure none of the heroes would lose a fight in them but this still felt pretty good.

We reached his car and I unlocked the door before helping him into the seat. I was about to back out of the car when I saw that he was having trouble buckling his seat belt so I leaned back in to help. I heard a hinge in his breathing and his entire body seemed to stiffen. I was feeling it too; being so close to him. I could smell the sweetness of his cologne mixed in with the strong scent of antiseptic solution and it was a _nice_ smell. I liked it.

"Well, there you go." I finished with his seat belt and leaned out of the car. "Are you sure you can drive?"

"If I can't, I'll pull over and I'll call my dad to pick me up," he assured me.

"Oh, that's good then." I felt relieved. "Still, could you call me when you get back? I'd feel better if I knew you got home safe."

"Is that a subtle way of giving me your number?" His voice was soft now, almost as if he was unsure. For some reason, I was delighted. Not for obvious reasons but his different behaviors were telling me a story: that Edward was a layered person. He appeared shy at first and he was shy _now_, but deep down, he was an honorable, kind, loyal person; a gentleman. It made me breathless just thinking of how wonderful it would be if I had the privilege someday to find out what other layers he had.

"Only if you want it…"

"Yes!" I was surprised at the speed with which he answered me. But suddenly, his bravado seemed to dissipate. "I mean, sure," he added quietly.

I smiled. Inspired by his courage, I reached in for his palm and I asked for a pen. I wrote down my number on his palm and hoped that he'd keep it, or at least, keep it until he could key it into his cell phone.

"Thank you for everything," he whispered into my ear just as I was about to let go of his wrist.

I nodded, not sure of what to say. We stared at each other in silence before I remembered that he had to get home quickly. "Drive safe," I said as I closed the car door.

He merely winked and once he started the engine, he pulled out of the parking lot and drove into the night. Smiling to myself, I couldn't find it within me to be mad at Alice. Sure, there was no guarantee that Edward was going to call me back but I got to meet him anyway. For some reason, I now believed that out there somewhere, there was a good guy just waiting for me. Not one of those jerks like James, or guys who prowled nightclubs for girls so that they can get laid; no, out there was a guy like Edward who was nice, kind and caring towards women.

Edward, Edward, Edward…

Man, I was turning into one of those heroines in the trashy romance novels. Ladies whose every thought was on their leading man. No! I couldn't. No, I would wait patiently for Edward to call back and if he didn't, I'd talk to Alice to talk to her friend, Jasper who will in turn, talk to Edward for me. Whoever said a woman couldn't take control of the situation?

Jasper! Alice! I haven't heard from her since the club. Alice!

Well, guess somebody else got lucky tonight too.

**FIN**

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If interested, below is the list of music I listened to while writing this piece.

**TRACK LIST**

Good Girls Go Bad by Cobra Starship

Marching Bands of Manhattan by Death Cab for Cutie

Be Somebody by Kings of Leon

Digital Love by Daft Punk

Clair De Lune by Debussy

Thank you to everyone who read this story and left reviews. They were greatly appreciated. Still, leave me reviews for this chapter. Let me know what you like, or what you _don't_ like about the story. Subscribe for notification of updates! :)


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